Former Goa RSS chief goes 'absconding' after FIR over remarks on St Francis Xavier
Panaji: Goa Police have stated that Subhash Velingkar, the former Goa unit chief of the RSS, is currently "absconding" after an FIR was registered against him for his remarks on St Francis Xavier, triggering widespread protests across the state. Raids are being conducted to trace his whereabouts.
The FIR was lodged at North Goa’s Bicholim police station on Friday night based on a complaint filed by AAP MLA Cruz Silva. According to the FIR, the accused, with "malicious intentions," made a speech that allegedly outraged the religious feelings and insulted the beliefs of the complainant, his religious community, and others.
Following Velingkar’s statement calling for a "DNA test" of the relics of St Francis Xavier, revered as the patron saint of Goa, at least half a dozen complaints were filed against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and disrupting communal harmony. The FIR has been registered under section 299 of BNS (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
Protests erupted on Friday, with over 300 people, including leaders from Congress and AAP, gathering outside the police station in Margao, demanding Velingkar's arrest. On Saturday, protesters blocked roads in Margao, Anjuna, and Old Goa, prompting the police to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. The protesters issued an ultimatum, threatening to block the Zuari Bridge if the accused is not arrested soon.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appealed for calm and urged people not to block roads. “Whatever action was taken [in the case] against Fr Bolmax [Pereira], similar action will be applied for Velingkar,” said Sawant.
Fr Bolmax Pereira, the parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Chicalim, was booked last year for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during a sermon.
The Congress party released a statement emphasising the importance of maintaining Goa’s unique identity of communal harmony and urged the government to preserve this "sensitive fabric" of peace and respect. BJP Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo also criticised Velingkar, stating, “St Francis Xavier is a saint revered by people from all religions. People like Velingkar make such statements just to gain limelight and create rifts between communities.”
Velingkar was previously removed from the RSS in 2016. As of now, the police are continuing their efforts to locate him.Former Goa RSS chief goes 'absconding' after FIR over remarks on St Francis Xavier
Panaji: Goa Police have stated that Subhash Velingkar, the former Goa unit chief of the RSS, is currently "absconding" after an FIR was registered against him for his remarks on St Francis Xavier, triggering widespread protests across the state. Raids are being conducted to trace his whereabouts.
The FIR was lodged at North Goa’s Bicholim police station on Friday night based on a complaint filed by AAP MLA Cruz Silva. According to the FIR, the accused, with "malicious intentions," made a speech that allegedly outraged the religious feelings and insulted the beliefs of the complainant, his religious community, and others.
Following Velingkar’s statement calling for a "DNA test" of the relics of St Francis Xavier, revered as the patron saint of Goa, at least half a dozen complaints were filed against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and disrupting communal harmony. The FIR has been registered under section 299 of BNS (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
Protests erupted on Friday, with over 300 people, including leaders from Congress and AAP, gathering outside the police station in Margao, demanding Velingkar's arrest. On Saturday, protesters blocked roads in Margao, Anjuna, and Old Goa, prompting the police to resort to a mild lathi-charge to disperse the crowd. The protesters issued an ultimatum, threatening to block the Zuari Bridge if the accused is not arrested soon.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant appealed for calm and urged people not to block roads. “Whatever action was taken [in the case] against Fr Bolmax [Pereira], similar action will be applied for Velingkar,” said Sawant.
Fr Bolmax Pereira, the parish priest of St Francis Xavier Church, Chicalim, was booked last year for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj during a sermon.
The Congress party released a statement emphasising the importance of maintaining Goa’s unique identity of communal harmony and urged the government to preserve this "sensitive fabric" of peace and respect. BJP Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo also criticised Velingkar, stating, “St Francis Xavier is a saint revered by people from all religions. People like Velingkar make such statements just to gain limelight and create rifts between communities.”
Velingkar was previously removed from the RSS in 2016. As of now, the police are continuing their efforts to locate him.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
